Lining for blast furnaces and the like



June 14,1927.

W. A. STUART LINING FOR BLAST FURNACES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 27. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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8 8 h in (if I", "1:: 1: L113 L P. 'F INVENTOR 1,632,6 June 14, 1927. w A. STUART 33 )LINING FOR BLAST- FQRNACES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Dec. 27. 1924 v 3 Sheet8Sheet 3 Patented June 14, 1927.

same s' ATas PATENT OFFICE. H

wALLAcn A. STUART, on CLEVELAND, OHIO, AssIGNoRor ONE-HALF TO nnooxn n Anas'r'r, or SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

LINING non BLAST FURNACEs AND THE LIKE.

Continuation of application Serial No. 758,483, filed December 27, 1924. This application filed January 26, 1926. Serial No. 83,847.

This invention relates ,to blast furnaces,

and the like, and more particularly to the construction of a heat resistant lining therefor, the inventionconstitutes a continuation of the. invention shown in my appllcatlon, Serial No. 758,483, filed December 27, 1924:.

Blast furnaces as usually constructed are considerably-wider at their bases than at their tops, being of gradually, decreasing diameter upwardly.v They enerally have an exterior 'metal shell within Which is a refractory wall or lining built up of speciall'y formed blocks or refractory bricks. This lining, in order to haveia maximum T strength, should have the blocks set as close to each other as possible, and the blocks in each course and row of the Wall should break joints with the blocks of adjacent courses.

and rows in every possible direction. Furthermore, the innerface of the. furnace must be kept as smooth and even as possible, notwithstanding the. gradual increase in diameter of the furnace. I

Because of the non-uniform diameter of the structure, it has heretofore been impossible, with the blocks adopted asthe stand ard, to systematically build up the Wall and decrease its diameter without spacing the blocks to an extent entirely inconsistent with what would be tolerable assound practice in ordinary straight wall masonry, and, it has been impossibleto break the jointsv extent desirable for maximum to the strength, especially under the pressure and thermal conditions existant in a blast furnace. a I a Accordingv to the present invention, it is proposed to provide a lining construction wherein the blocks maybe most efiiciently spaced with respect to each other to insure the breaking of all joints and provide for the uniform setting ofblocks notwithstanding the non-uniform diameter of the structure. i i

A further important purpose of my invention is to provide blocks and a method of laying the same wherein the symmetrical decrease of diameter from thebase up may be secured, and wherein the number of blocks, of different, shapes is minimized, eliminating any requirement for special shapes for the standard lining construction "or any necessity for a great number of individually different blocks.

A further important object of the invention 1S to provide a wall structure-in furnaces which can be assembled with greater Ease and accuracy than walls of the present ype. I Y

According to my invention, it is also proposed that the blocks, for convenience of handling, may be of dimensionsapproaching those now commonly used.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings,

Wherein Flgure 1 1s a diagrammatic side elevation of a blast furnace having a lining embody-Y ing the present, invention therein, portions of the furnace being represented as being.

broken away to' show the lining; Figure 2 1s av staggered horizontal section in the plane of line IIII of Figure 1;

7 Figure 3, is avertical section through a portion of the vwall, the section being taken .on line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a staggered horizontal section inthe'plane of ure 1; p s

Figure 5 isa partial section through an other portion of the wall structure wherein there are four rows of blocks;and

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of key and straight blocks, respectively.

In the drawings, 2 designates the shell of line IVIV of Figa blast furnace having a base portion i The shell has a lining 4 embodying the a present invention comprised ofv several concentric rows of blocks so arranged in horizontal courses that all of the joints break with the joints of adjacent blocks.

In practice, the blocks will preferably have the lengths now commonly adopted as standard. For instance, as a matter of gen n eral practice, the blocks are made in nine 1110b and thirteen and a half inch lengths and the longer and shorter blocks in the different concentric rows are staggered break joints. Y

In accordance with, my present invention, I have, in each concentric row, key blocks 5 and straight blocks 6. To determine the width of the keyblocks for the inner row, I take as a base dimension, the smallest internal diameter of the furnace cavity 7. I find the circumference of the circle whose diameter is equal to this dimension, and divide this into an equal number of parts whereupon the width of the inner face of the. key brick is obtained. In dividing, I take a number which will give me a brick of a dimension comparable to the standard furnace lining brick so that the blocks can be easily handled. The sides of the blocks are radialito the center of the circle having the base diameter. The blocks for each concentric row will have an inner end whose width is equal to the outer dimensionof the adjacent inner brick, the key bricks in the outer. rows also having radial sides.

This one set of key locks is sufiicient as long as. the structure is of the minimum diameter, but obviously would not, in themselves, be sufficient where the diameter of the cavity exceeds the base diameter. In the present invention,I- take into consideration thefact that with each increase or decrease of one inch in diameter, there is an increase or decrease of 3.1416 inches in the circumference, the circumference being equal to the diameter times Pi.

I, therefore, make straight sided fiiler blocks 6 .to be used with the increase in diameter the width of which bears a definite rat-i0 to Pi. @bviously the width of the straight blocks (5 could be- Pi., but for convenience'and in-order to make the key blocks and straight blocks .of more uniform size and more.nearly comparable to the size of present blocks, I preferably make the blocks (5 equal to Pi. plus a simple fraction thereof, preferablyone and a half times Pi.

In using the blocks 6, one straight block will be added every time the diameter increases one inch, provided the width of the straight block were Pi, or a straight block will be added to-each row in each course with every increase in diameter of an inch and a half in the diameter if the width of the straight blocks is one and a half times Pi.

As .a specific illustration, the normal smallest diameter in a blast furnace is twelve feet. -I divide a circle having a twelve foot diameter into ninety-six parts, obtaining-a dimension of 71 for the width of the inner face of the key brick. This dimension is one and af'half times Pi. I adopt the. same'dimension as the width of the straight blocks 6 so that for every increase in diameter of one and a half inches, there is added to the ninety-six key blocks one straight block.

In laying the blocks, it is preferable that instead of decreasing or increasing the diameter in steps of one and a half inches, that several horizontal courses be laid in which there is the same number of blocks and in gradually decreasing the spacing between adjacent blocks. In circles of the diameters found in blast furnace work, the variation of an inch and a half in diameter can be very easily arranged for without any substantial variation in the space between adjacent blocks.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that with each increase of one and a half inches of diameter there is added one straight block, so that when a diameter of fifteen feet, for instance, is reached, there will be added twenty-four straight blocks. Obviously all of these straight blocks could not be disposed side by side, but they must be interposed between the key blocks to the best advantage.

In the laying of a lining, the work is. of course, started at the bottom, and the wall built, the lower part expanding to a portion of maximum diameter at the bosh 8. Above this point the furnace decreases in diameter for a considerable distance upwardly. The first course is laid with the necessary number of straight blocks and the fixed number of key or segmental blocks common to every course in the inner row and with the concentric outer rows. The number of blocks in the outer rows corresponds to the number in the inner row inasmuch as the key blocks in the outer rows preferably have an inner width equal to the outer width of the adjacent blocks in the next inner row, but with the straight blocks of uniform size throughout. The blocks in each outer row break joints with the adjacent inner row a distance equal to one-half the width of the key blocks of the inner row. The key and straight blocks are distributed around the circle as evenly as possible.

Other courses are laid on the first. In building a wall of increasing diameter, as in the lower part of the furnace, the blocks in the courses are spaced further apartuntil the diameter has been gradually expanded the necessary fixed increment when another straight block is added. In building the portion of the wall of decrei sing diameter, the reverse process is followed, the blocks of the courses being more closely spaced until the diameter has decreased the given increment when a straight block can he removed. In the laying of all courses of the same number of blocks, the blocks are so placed that the vertical transverse joints will be shifted with respect to the joints of adjacent conrses a distance less than half the width of a block. gauging always from the same edge of the blocks. A shift of about one-quarter a block is preferable.

This may be easily followed in Figures '2 and 3 where lines 9 are half-way between lines 10 and 11 in a transverse direction and lines 12 are shifted a quarter width with respect to lines 13 and ii. In this manner. the vertical joints in each direction will break throughout the wall structure. The joint-s loo developed. are separate groups of key blocks with a straight block 6 at the end of each brace. In this view, I have indicated the radius of the base circle from which the dimension of the key blocks is determinedas (Z while a is the center of the furnace. Lines 7, g and i are projected from thesides-of straight blocks toward the centers of curvature 0 of the blocks in braces b and Z2. These lines,

it will be noted, aresubstantially tangent to a concentric circle 6 whose diameter is the width of a block 6. It will also be noted in this view how the centers 0 fall on a cir- L cle 71. whose diameter is equal to the distance between the actual diameter of the structure and the diameter of the base circle, thereby showing the uniformity with which the structure may be developed. The inner faces of the key or segmental blocks curved or straight, as desired.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the lining of the structure may be systematically developed with a minimum number of sizes of blocks and with assurance that all vertical joints will break with those of adjacent blocks; The only joints not being broken are those between courses where the vertical weight of the superimposed structure renders the breaking of joints unnecessary. There is little fitting of the blocks required, so that the bricklayer may proceed rapidly, thereby effecting a considerable saving in the labor costs. The blocks are closely positioned with respect to one another, thereby increasing the strength of the wall and providinga structure wherein a greater life is secured by reason of the fact that the maximum resistance is established to penetration of gases and other substances.

Another important advantage resides in the fact that a very close estimate of the number of each size of block required for each furnace can be accurately calculated, whereas it was heretofore a matter of guesswork for engineers to figure the approximate number of bricks required.

lVhile I describe the invention as pertaining particularly to blast furnace construction, it is not confined to this specific use. I have also specifically described a particular plan for setting the straight bricks, but

may be do not restrict myself to this particular and precise method of construction, as the bricklayermay proceed according to his best -judgment.- Neither do I wish the invention to be confined. to particular dimensions, preferred dimensions having merely beengiven byway of illustration, and that instead of each straight block having a width equal to Pi..times an inch and a half, its width could equal Pi. times any fixed increment of diametrical increase. Various other changes and modifications are-also within the spirit of mylinvention.

In the specification and claims, theterm course is to be understood as a horizontal layer of blocks, and the term row is used todesignate theconcentric rings of blocks;-

In each row in each course there is always a i set of key blocks, and these key blocks are suflicienh if laid side by side without straight blocks to always turn a circle, as will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The term a set of key blocks,

as hereinafter used in the claims, thereforemeans just the exact number of segmental blocks necessary for turning a circle to which the sides of the block are radial when the blocks are laid side byside without intervening straight blocks.

I claim as my invention:

l. A circular furnace wall construction of non-uniform diameter made up o'f blocks I laid in horizontal courses, each course having a plurality of concentric rows of blocks, each row containinga complete setof key blocks having radial sides and which are segments of a circle, said set of key blocks being capable of turning acomplete circle when laid side. by side, the key blocks in the j respective rows being segments of concentric circles, each course whose diameter is greater than the diameter of the circles of which the key blocks are segments having one or more. straight sided blocks in each of its rows, the number of key blocks in each of the rows of a course being equal and the number of straight sided blocks in each row of a course also being equal, the width of the inner ends of the blocks in each concentric row outwardly being the same as the outer width of the keyblocks in the next adjacent inner row, the straight sided blocks all having the same width, the blocks of each row of the same course being laterally offset with respect to the blocks of the adjacent rows so as to break joints, the blocks in each row of a course being laterally ofiset with respect to the corresponding rows of adjacent courses so as to break vertical joints therewith, and the blocks of each row. of a course being of a length difierent from that of the blocks in the corresponding rows of the next adjacent courses so that the vertical joints between the ends of the blocks are broken.

2. A circular furnace Wall construction of non-uniform diameter having blocks laid in horizontal courses, of a plurality of rows, each row containing a complete set of key blocks having radial sides and which are segments of a circle and-are capable of turning a-eomplete circle when laid side by side,

the key blocks in the respective rows being each row of a course being offset with respect to the blocks of the adjacent row of the same course so as to break joints therewith, the blocks in a row of one course being oil'- set laterally with respect to the blocks of the correspmiding row of the next course so as to break vertical joints therewith, the blocks of each row of a course liming of greaterlength than the corresponding blocks of the corresponding row in the next adjacent course, so that the joints between the ends of the blocks are broken vertically.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

lVALLACE A. STUART. 

